O'Leary shocked by Paije departure

X Factor host Dermot O'Leary has admitted that he was shocked by Paije Richardson's exit from the competition last night.

The presenter claimed that all his expectations have been "chucked out of the window" by the 20-year-old cinema worker's departure.

"It was a shock. A huge shock," he told Konnie Huq on The Xtra Factor. "Paije's song for survival was incredible. It was one of those ones where you thought, 'you should have done that a few weeks ago'.

"I've never known a week like it. In my head, I hear people talking and see what people are saying online so you get an idea, but that result just chucked it out of the window."

O'Leary also admitted that it was sometimes difficult to compose himself when shock results are announced in his earpiece each week about which acts are going through.

"You just have to give yourself a couple of seconds to go, 'ooh, ooh', before calming down and going, 'okay'," he revealed.